Following the Prophet

In a talk given at BYU in 1973, Harold B. Lee had some interesting things to say. The thing that stood out most to me was this:

The measure of your true conversion and whether or not you hold fast to those ideals is whether or not you are so living that you see the power of God resting upon the leaders of this Church and that the testimony goes down into your heart like fire.

Fast and Testimony meeting yesterday got me thinking about something related. I realized more specifically than ever before how it is continued obedience to the counsels of living prophets that brings the greatest blessings.

After high school, I followed the prophet's direction by going on a mission. That decision has blessed my life immensely. But yesterday, I realized that it would not benefit me any if I didn't listen to the prophet now.

Specifically, in October 2006, President Hinckley gave counsel to the men of the Church to get as much education as we could. Because of that talk, I went back to school to get my masters degree. I am amazed at the growth experiences I had while studying a demanding curriculum. In the month since graduating, I have already seen so many doors and opportunities opened to me that have blessed my life.

Going on a mission is vital to the good things I have done in my life since then, but I would miss out on so much had I not again heeded a prophet's call directly to me. I needed the mission experience to prepare me for what I have done since, but that was only the foundation. In the decade since I first started preparing for my mission, I have been faced with several transition points.

While imperfect, I have tried to always choose the right. Because of that, I still have claim on the blessings that started with my mission. And now I have claim on blessings from two college degrees and years of practice teaching in various settings in the Church.

The next time I hear that call, I plan on responding. That will allow the blessings of my mission and my education to continue to grow so "that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance" (Alma 29:9).